La Jolla, CA – The Toros made a valiant effort in their first post-season appearance in two years by taking it to Alaska-Anchorage via an 11-0 run to start the contest, but the Seawolves, who finished runner-up to GNAC Champion Seattle Pacific, slowly fought their way back to edge CSUDH, 49-48, in the first round of the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament, ending the Toros' 2006-07 season at 16-11.
The Toros came out ready to play at the NCAA DII Regional in taking the 11-0 lead, capped by a trey from the CCAA leading three-point marksman in Jessica Liang (Alhambra, CA/Mark Keppel HS) over the first three and a half minutes of play.
#Aujaneé Baldwin# (Fontana, CA/Etiwanda) would use a quick spin move around the defender on her way to the basket to give CSUDH a double-digit lead at 13-3 with 13:57 on the clock.
After the explosive start, however, the Toros offense would slow, although CSUDH's pressure defense held UAA to only six points over the first nine minutes.
Unique Bennett (San Bernardino, CA/Chaffey College) then subbed in and nailed a pair of threes to put the Toros up 19-8 with 10:26 on the clock.
The Seawolves would eventually find their offensive touch, reaching double-figures at the 7:52 mark, and then a using a layup and another trey to cut the Toros lead to 19-16 with 6:04 on the clock.
Bennett would end the UAA run with her third trey off the half, followed by a layup off a steal to give the Toros a 24-16 lead at the 4:45 mark.
UAA kept the Toros from gaining too large of a lead at the charity stripe, hitting four-straight free throws to cut the deficit to 24-20 with 3:13 on the clock.
Rebecca Kielpinski would bring the Seawolves to within two on a turn-around jumper in the paint at the 2:13 mark, but Ashley Johnson (Lynwood, CA/Lynwood HS) would grab an offensive board and get the putback to put the Toros up 26-22 with 1:43 remaining in the half, but the Seawolves scored the half's final four points to knot the score at 26-26 entering intermission.
After UAA grabbed its first lead of the game at 31-29 after intermission on a three-point shot by Jayci Stone, Alana Bailey (Altadena, CA/John Muir HS) would drain the Toros' first free throw of the game at the 16:23 mark to bring CSUDH to within one at 31-30.
Baldwin then came flying into the lane and grabbed an offensive rebound and putback to give CSUDH the lead at 36-35, but UAA's Tristan Burnett would counter with a three and the Seawolves would retake the lead at 38-36 with 9:36 remaining in the game.
With the Toros down 43-42 with 6:07 remaining in the game Brigayle Iglehart (San Diego, CA/Grossmont College) hit one of two to knot the game at 43-43, but UAA's Keyona Brooks answered with a lay-up to give the Seawolves a 45-43 with 5:49 left.
After stripping a driving Seawolf, Bennett would nail her fourth three-point shot of the game to bring CSUDH within one at 47-46 with 2:25 on the clock, and Baldwin gave the Toros their first lead in eight minutes on a baseline jumper at 48-47 with 1:55 remaining.
After a UAA timeout with 1:05 left in the game, Stone hit a jumper in the paint for the Seawolves for a 49-48 lead with 50 seconds left, but CSUDH would earn one more chance as the final seconds wound down, only to have a clean look by Baldwin hit the back of the rim in the loss.
CSUDH would place two players in double-figures in Bennett and Baldwin, with 16 and 10 points respectively.
“You have to make free throws,” begins head coach Van Girard on the difference maker in the close loss. “We were 2-of-8 and lose by one point. You make free throws and you win the ball game, so that was the biggest difference right there. I thought we played hard and had pretty good defense most of the way, and had a good shot at the end that we just didn't make. I was proud of the way we played and the fact that we had a shot at the end and, as a coach, all you can ask for is get into a position to be successful at the end of the ball game.”
Next season looks bright for CSUDH as the Toros return every member of the roster expect for senior Ree Browne (Torrance, CA/South Torrance HS), who concluded her Toro career in the NCAA postseason.
“As far as next year, hopefully something like this motivates them to want to get back to the tournament, and if we use it right then it is a lesson learned,” concludes Girard. “We have a nice core, we are just trying to add a couple to that core, but I like what we have and I think we are going to be a factor.”
